


Session Zero

by The_Local_Cryptid



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: A Lot Of Fantasy Races And Their Individual Cultures, Alien Midoriya Izuku, All Magic Comes With a Price, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Blood Magic, Blood and Gore, Contracts, Cryptid Homebrews A Lot, Culture Shock, Demons Are Assholes, Depression, Dimension Travel, Drow, Drow Culture, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Elf Culture & Customs, Everyone Loves Midoriya Izuku, F/F, F/M, Goblins, Homesickness, Killing, M/M, Magic and Science, Magic-User Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Midoriya Izuku is a Dork, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Depression, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Discovery, Self-Doubt, Self-Worth Issues, Tieflings, Warlock Midoriya Izuku, mostly - Freeform, technical character death, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:07:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22948285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Local_Cryptid/pseuds/The_Local_Cryptid
Summary: One month into the Hero Course at U.A., the USJ goes horribly awry and one student, Midoriya Izuku, vanishes without a trace. What will befall him in his adventures as he fights his way back home? Who will he meet? What will he learn?And just WHO is the strange man wearing a suit??
Relationships: TO BE DETERMINED - Relationship
Comments: 34
Kudos: 66





	1. Genesis Engine

**Author's Note:**

> This story came to me one day and it wouldn't leave. SO I present you with a D&D/BNHA crossover. I will be alternating between Session Zero and Rules of Nature in random intervals, because if I force myself to write a story it won't be very good.
> 
> That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the chapters after it!

_ ‘It’s a beautiful day out.’ _ Izuku thought happily.    
  
The sun was shining brightly, the cherry trees were blooming, a stranger let him pet the dog he was walking, and Izuku was heading to U.A.   
  
It was still hard for Izuku to fully process the fact that he, a once-quirkless, lonely teen with a dead-end fate now has a quirk, friends, and is going to his dream school so he can become a hero! It’s just so unbelievable. His thoughts were cut short as he heard a familiar, bubbly voice call out behind him.    
  
“Deku-kun! Wait up!”   
  
He turned to see his first friend, Uraraka. She was jogging after him, trying to catch up so they could walk to school together. Izuku stops in his tracks, turning around to wait for the brunette to catch up.    
  
“H-hey, Uraraka-chan,” he stuttered out as she approached. 

Seems like even a month at the famous U.A. can’t fix years of internalized fears and general phobia of being sociable. Oh well, he’ll work on it. Plus Ultra, right?

Oh crap, he’s missing what Uraraka is saying.   
  
“-Hey, do you think we’ll do something fun today? I heard some of the upperclassmen talking about how the first years go on a field trip sometime soon, maybe even today!” She cheered with vigor. Izuku smiled, her joy was infectious, Uraraka always had a smile that could light up a room.   
  
After much more small talk, or just Uraraka talking while Izuku pitches in about every five sentences, they stood before the almost  _ too _ large door to 1-A. They quieted down and made their way to their seats, having long since grown into the habit as to not disturb their perpetually tired teacher.   
  
The rest of the class followed suit afterwards, and everyone was present two minutes before the bell rang. Aizawa sat up, looked at the class, nodded approvingly, before laying back down. “Homeroom is a free period since you’re all here. Be quiet.”

The bell rang, and the dynamics of the classroom started to shine. The fledgling cliques grouped up and conversed amongst themselves. The “Bakusquad,” as they called themselves, wore the hair-trigger patience of Katsuki down ever more. The self-proclaimed “Dekusquad” gathered around Izuku . The lone wolves sat quietly in their seats doing some prime people watching. The intellectuals studied. And  _ Mineta  _ was being Mineta _. _ You know, the usual.   
  
Izuku realized that he was spacing out again.    
  
_ ‘Huh, I must be really out of it. Wonder what’s going on?’ _ he thought to himself. He focused back onto the conversation as Tsu gave Izuku her usual blank stare. “Midoriya? You alright,  _ kero _ ?” She asked, putting her finger to her chin and tilting her head slightly. Izuku noticed she did that when she was thinking.   
  
“O-oh, yeah, I just… didn’t get enough sleep last night, s-sorry…” he muttered, trying to deflect their worry. Tsu just shrugged. “Alright then,” was all the frog girl had to say. He half-listened as Iida told him the importance of getting enough sleep for hero work and Izuku could swear he heard an amused snort come from the yellow sleeping bag at the front of the class.   
  
Once the bell rang again, Aizawa awoke from his near-eternal slumber. He shuffled to the front of the class and unzipped his sleeping bag. “Alright class. Today we’re going on a field trip off-campus to do rescue training. You can bring your gear, but just remember that some support items could get in the way until you get used to them. Meet me in the parking lot in fifteen minutes.”   
  
Not wanting to incur the wrath of their underground teacher, the class scrambled to change into either their hero costumes or the U.A. gym clothes, and reached the parking lot with five minutes to spare. Iida was shouting about how to sit on the bus in seat order over the steadily increasing volume of idle chatter as they waited for the bus.   
  
Lo and behold, Aizawa pulled up to the group in a large bus, subsequently crushing Iida’s seating plan by informing him it was open seating, and everyone sat down and started the idle chatter once again.

_ ‘I have to say, it's nice to be able to sit among my classmates and not have to worry about suddenly becoming a group punching bag. I can just sit back, relax, and watch Bakugou get teased. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ … _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Wait, what!?’ _   
  
He had to do a double take as he, indeed, watched Bakugou get talked down to.   
  
Oh yeah. He could  _ definitely _ get used to this.   
  
While Bakugou shouted some death threats at his classmates while they just laughed, Izuku just sat back in his chair and let out a happy sigh. He noticed the white gloved hand of Tsu on the top of the seat in front of him before she pulled herself up to face him.   
  
“Midoriya-kun, I generally tend to speak what’s on my mind, and I’ve been told I’m a bit blunt,” she stated. Izuku waved his hands. “Oh n-no, it’s fine! Uh… Just s-say what you need to Asui!”    
  
“Call me Tsu, all my friends do.”   
  
“A-are you sure..? I mean, I-I know we’ve talked a few times but-”   
  
Tsu held up her hand. “It’s fine,  _ kero. _ ”   
  
Once she stopped Izuku from rambling about how they shouldn't be friends, she launched her question. “Your quirk. It’s kinda like All-Might’s, don’t you think?”   
  
That caused Izuku to start panicking. Had they been too obvious? Were they that similar? How did she figure it out?   
  
While he attempted to formulate an actual sentence, Kirishima,  _ bless his soul _ , intervened.   
  
“Hold on, Tsu-chan. Midori-bro’s quirk is strong, but he also hurts himself when he uses it. Plus, he’s got like, these sparks all over him when he uses it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen All-Might do either of those with his quirk.”   
  
Tsu nodded. “Makes sense.”   
  
Izuku let out a breath he hardly even registered he was holding, and made a mental note to thank Kirishima in some way later. He’d need to check his quirk analysis books to see if he happened to jot down his favorite food.   
  
“But despite the obvious self-harm factor, Midoriya’s quirk is super strong and flashy,  _ definitely  _ pro material. My hardening is useful and all, but not exactly an eye-catcher, y’know?” he said, hardening his hand to demonstrate.   
  
Now, Izuku may be a fucking hypocrite, but godammit he didn’t spend the last 15 years of his life studying quirks for him to be quiet when his friend puts himself down when he has such a useful and powerful quirk. Even if he has no social skills whatsoever.    
  
“T-that’s not true, Kirishima-san! Your quirk is super powerful! You could take out villains super quick or shield civilians from attacks!” His praise soon devolved into his usual muttering as he realized that he was talking and being loud and  _ oh god they’re gonna beat him up again he can’t take any more- _   
  
He heard a sniffle and he broke out of his mutters about how Kirishima could use his quirk when he saw that Kirishima was crying.    
  
“On no! I-I didn’t upset you, did I? I’m so sorry!”   
  
“Bro! That’s so manly!” Kirishima sobbed, pounding his fist against his chest as the tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Everyone said words of agreement, albeit with much less passion, and it soon devolved into a talk about quirks. Izuku’s hands itched for paper and pen, but he couldn’t take notes right now. Bakugou was around. Izuku was still not over the blonde destroying his notebook before he was out of Aldera Middle School.   
  
Once the bus reached the parking lot of a large, dome-shaped building, the class stepped out, admiring the architecture before Aizawa ushered them in.. The class went through a pretty heavy metal door before they all stood in awe. All out in front of them was a huge stonework staircase, with a beautiful plaza complete with a fountain, and all around the dome, there were huge sections of entirely different biomes. One looked like a post-apocalyptic city, another looked like a mudslide, there was a dome tinted red,the glow of fire emanating from the glass, while another was tinted blue and he could see ripples of water washing down the glass in a constant onslaught of waves. There was even a lake with a full cruise ship for Christ’s sake!   
  
“Woooaah! It’s like Universal Studios Japan!” Denki exclaimed, spinning around to look at all the stuff. A muffled, amused giggle came from behind them. Everyone turned to see what looked like a puffy astronaut suit with large white eyes. “Well, you got the initials right!”   
  
The astronaut walked up to the front of the group. “Greetings, class 1-A! I am-”   
  
“Thirteen!”

  
  
Thirteen was cut off by the dual shouts form the local ‘Space Hero Fanclub’.   
  
Thirteen chuckled at their excited faces. “Ah, I see I have two young fans in this class already. Yes, I am the Space Hero:Thirteen. And this,” She gestured to the inside of the dome, to all the zones, the intricate machinery to keep it going, “is the USJ: The Universal Simulation Joint! You’re going to be practicing here for rescue training! Now, before we start, I have a point to make. Or two… or three… “ Thirteen put up a capped finger for each new point.   
  
Izuku was starting to feel lightheaded again. He had no idea why, but he just couldn’t focus today. Maybe he should sit the training out and go see Recovery Girl? At least then he won’t have any broken bones, so win-win?   
  
He couldn’t even hear when everyone started screaming, or when the temperature in the room dropped.   
  
\--------------------------------------   
  
_ This was it! _   
  
He had finally found it. After years of research, failed attempts, and a few missing, dubiously  _ willing  _ test subjects, he had perfected it.   
  
His spell would revolutionize magic in its entirety. The ability to not just travel between the planes of existence, his spell could prove his theory on there being multiple universes.    
  
By traveling  _ between  _ them.   
  
He cackled madly in his underground lab. He had sensed a universe of great potential, one of power, one of so much power. And even among this great potential, he had found a sudden power spike of an individual. Their power was so great that his ritual magic could be cast simply  _ now _ , It made him feel…   
  
Giddy.   
  
And with that in mind, he casted  _ Encode Thoughts _ , intending on enchanting all of his notes into his own brain in fear of his notes being stolen. He stood in the center of the room and prepared his mind. Weaving the magic of fate in his favor, he muttered the words of power of his spell, his grin nearly splitting his face open as he felt the gates open.    
  
**_“Sit portas aperire!”_ ** he finished the words, braced to see what’s on the other side, and stepped forwards.    
  
Then…   
  
_ He felt a rupture. _

The gates shifted. He felt and saw the subject that he had honed in on fly above him as he felt the shadowy claws of the Abyss grab him and pull him down, scarcely covering up the shrieking of feral, hungry demons below him in the Abyss’s infinite layers. And, for the first time in his life…   
  
_ He felt true fear. _   
  
\---------------------------------------   
  


Izuku’s mind snapped to attention suddenly, and he quickly took stock of the situation.    
  
Villains.   
USJ.   
Aizawa.   
ALONE.   
  
He sprang into action, narrowly avoiding the mist villain’s purple miasma, as he rushed to help Aizawa. He was halfway down the stairs when he felt a painful spike drive itself through his mind.    
  
He let out an ear-shattering scream of pure  _ agony _ as the pain was so much he could only try and curl up and cry. But he was halfway down the stairs.   
  
The scream had gotten the attention of every hero, student and villain around the dome, and those nearby watched in horror as the teen fell into a hole so black you couldn’t even properly focus on it as it swallowed him up…   
  
And then it disappeared as if nothing happened.   
  
\-------------------------------------------------------------   
  
Izuku knew he should be scared. He should be panicked. Afraid. Yet, as he floated through the black void, he couldn’t help but relax. 

The pain was gone. It was all a dream. He’d wake up from this fever dream soon, it’d be the start of a new day.   
  
Maybe he might  _ actually  _ get to pet a dog on his way to U.A.    
  
That’d be a cool coincidence, wouldn’t it?

He didn’t know how long he sat there, floating in the abyss aimlessly. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Months?   
  
He honestly couldn’t even tell you what way was up, much less how long he had been here. Does time even exist in this place? It all feels impossibly fast and frozen at the same time.    
  
He saw a light.  _ “Oh, that’s it,’ _ Izuku thought. ‘ _ I’m dead, I guess the light at the end of the tunnel is true. I wonder what the afterlife is like?’ _   
  
He floated towards it, and for the first time since coming to the void, he was able to stop. He was mere feet away from the glowing white light. He looked around,  _ really  _ looked. He peered through the blackness, trying to make out anything.   
  
And that’s when he saw it.    
  
Millions upon millions of other lights, so far away from him, shining like stars in the night sky. Above, beside, and below him, he saw stars. Arrays of colors, so vibrant and beautiful that he wished he could cry. The sight before him unfolded like a bright painting upon a cosmic canvas that only the gods would be able to truly see.    
  
He was so absorbed in it, looking around, he hadn’t realized he had drifted closer to the white light he was next to, until he felt his back run into it. And he felt it again.   
  
_ Pain. _   
  
\------------------------------------------------

He shot awake, his bloodshot eyes scanning the area he was in immediately. He was able to figure two things out for certain.   
  
He’s in the woods.   
  
And it’s fucking  _ dark _ .   
  
There’s also something… odd about the air. He couldn’t say something was off, but it just smelled… Cleaner. He inhaled a deep breath of the earthy, humid, but  _ oh so fresh _ air. It managed to calm his nerves a bit, letting him think clearly.    
  
What was it he read in that survival article online?   
  
“Uhhh…. F-f-food, water, shelter. Food, water, shelter… Okay... “   
  
Izuku looked around as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Dappled rays of moonlight shone through the branches, revealing that the forest had no discernible trails and no lights. It looked… Primal. Untouched. It was kind of beautiful, really, to see a  _ truly natural _ forest. No manicured trees or trimmed hedges.    
  
But it’s also terrifying, because he knows for a fact that he’s not in Japan. He knows next to nothing outside of Musutafu and the surrounding areas, and now he’s alone, in a dark forest. He tries pulling out his phone, only to find that there’s no cell service.    
  
“Great! I’m lost, alone, and the phone doesn’t work!” He cried into the still night, the only reply being the constant drone of cicadas chirping.   
  
Wait. Cicadas? The familiar sound he knew from ancient cliche animes was suddenly foreign and confused Izuku deeply. Cicadas were extinct, last he checked. It had happened just a few years before the first quirks came around. And that would mean that cicadas, which had been dead for well over 250 years, were abundant enough in this forest that they were chirping in countless numbers around him. He strained his ears further. He could hear other insects as well, and the distant howl of what he  _ hoped  _ were simply coyotes. 

  
He began to walk, treading carefully until he began to grow more accustomed to the forest. He spotted small wildlife here and there. Rats and mice scrounging for food under cover of night, a few squirrels, and even a few owls swooping overhead, their hoots carrying gently into the night.    
  
“Is this what the afterlife is like? A peaceful forest? Yeah…” Izuku trailed off. Once more the feeling contentment washed over him. He chuckled. “Y-you’d think I’d be more worried about the fact that I’m dead…”   
  
He came upon a clearing in the woods. A small meadow, full of soft, lush grass that grew up to his shins, scattered about with flowers and bushes as a veritable swarm of fireflies floated around him, performing a mesmerizing lightshow. He pulled out the notebook he always kept tucked away, turning to a new page, and began to sketch the scene in front of him as he sat on a fallen log.    
  
“I wonder… How are my classmates? I don’t want them to die…”   
  
\--------------------------------------   
  
Everyone was silent. Even the fucking hand villain, who had been mid-monolouge to Sensei about how they’d crush All-Might. He started scratching his hand-covered neck. “No, no, no! Kurogiri... the level glitched!”    
  
Katsuki scoffed from his place in the crowd. The distraction would only work so long, he needed to think. But, he’d never admit it out loud, he was concerned. What the fuck happened to Deku!?    
  
“Shitty hair, with me. We’re gonna surprise that misty fucker,” Katsuki growled as quietly as he could, not noticing Thirteen popping the caps off her fingers. The two boys launched a double attack of a rock and a hard place on the villain, who leaned back. Katsuki heard him mutter, “That was close…” before he went on some bullshit rant about killing All-Might. Hah! As if these weaklings could take on the Symbol of Peace!   
  
When the misty fuck sent out his portals, Katsuki noticed something. They weren’t the vantablack portal shitty Deku fell through. They were purple. His last thoughts before he was whisked away was about the portal Izuku had fallen through. Who the fuck had that kind of warp quirk?   
  
\-----------------------------------------------

Izuku finished his drawing. While he could only use white, black, and various shades of grey, he felt pretty proud of the fact he managed to capture the moment well. He heard footsteps coming from behind him and he whipped around to face a man. He seemed to be maybe 20-30 years old, with short cropped brown hair and a layer of stubble all around his chin. He wore a black suit and a vibrant tie, odd attire for a forest, but Izuku was in his hero suit in the afterlife after all, so who was he to judge? Maybe they just came here wearing what they did when they died.   
  
“Oh, pardon me young man, I was simply lost. Are you from around here?” the man asked in English with what Izuku assumed was a British accent. Izuku scooted over on his log bench, offering the man a seat. “O-oh, uh… I’m sorry, m-my English is a little rusty…” Izuku said. He cleared his throat. “Uh, I’m not from around here. I’m also kind of lost, but I guess it doesn’t matter, does it?” Izuku asked rhetorically, looking back out to the meadow. “It’s beautiful here.”   
  
The man graciously accepted the seat, looking out. “Yes, I suppose you could say that. So, if you’re not from here, how’d you get here then?” the man questioned, looking over at Izuku. He looked him up and down, eyes lingering on the hero costume. Izuku chuckled. “A-ah, uh.. Hero stuff, portals, bad luck, you name it…” He said, staring up at the moon.   
  
“Oh, dear…” the man hummed, putting his hand on Izuku’s shoulder. Izuku turned to him. “What’s your quirk, Mr…?”   
  
The man raised his eyebrow. “Quirk..? Young man, I’m not sure I follow.”    
  
Izuku raised his eyebrows in return. “Oh, you must call it something different, uh… What’s your... special power? Yeah, that’s another way to say it.”    
  
The man nodded. “Oh, yes, that. You see…” he trailed off, summoning a papyrus scroll that seemed to burn in reverse as it materialized above his hand. “I can make a contract with others such as yourself, you see. It’s a bit give-and-take, but I can offer great power in return for the service of another. Would you like to have a go at it?” he asked with a devilish smirk. Izuku considered.    
  
“Are the terms of the contract… negotiable?” he hesitantly asked. The man’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Oh, dear, I do love it when they’re shrewd! Yes, of course they are! What are your terms?” He asked, summoning a burning quill that seemed harmless to him as he snagged the floating parchment out of the air, ready to write.    
  
Izuku hummed for a moment. “I’d… like to have the power to get back home, to keep saving people.” He stated finally. The man wrote something down on his parchment. “Mhmm, I can see why you’d choose that. Now, is that your only demand?”   
  
Izuku nodded. ‘Yes.”   
  
The man finished writing whatever he had, before scribbling some more words out on it. He passed the contract to Izuku. “Now, this next part is slightly unpleasant, but you need to sign your name here in blood. Do you think you can manage that?”    
  
Izuku looked at the man like he was crazy. “W-why do I need to sign it in blood?” he questioned, glancing warrily at the needle-tipped quill the man was holding. The man shrugged. “Just how it works. It needs a bit of your DNA so I don’t make a contract with a boulder.” he said, gesturing to the graphite pencil Izuku had. “Now, do you want the power or not? It’s quite straining to keep the contract up this long when all it needs is your signature.”   
  
Izuku hesitantly nodded, grabbing the quill. Despite it being on fire, it just felt pleasantly warm, a nice contrast to the cool night. He looked at the parchment, then the quill, and his hand. He read the terms the man had set for him for the deal to be set in accord. 

_ ‘Client Terms: To gain the power to continue to be a hero. _ _   
_ _ Patron Terms: Unquestioning service in exchange for a fraction of my power. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ I, _______ ______, hereby consent to the terms of service agreed upon, lest my eternal soul be damned to Hell.’ _ _   
_ _   
_ There were also paragraphs of what he assumed were words but couldn’t read, as they were written in a language unknown to him. He looked to the man, who was staring at him expectantly. “Uhhh… Why does the contract entail eternal damnation?” He hesitantly asked. The man chuckled. “My dear boy, for two reasons. It makes the stakes higher, and that, in turn, makes the contract harder to break. Do you accept it or not?” He said, gesturing to the waiting parchment.   
  
Izuku swallowed, pricked his finger with the quill, and signed his name with his own blood. The parchment and quill disappeared in another flash of fire as he saw a green orb rise out of his chest, with eight smaller, twinkling lights within rise up, right into the palm of the now nine foot tall man. “I must say, I do know how to pick em.” The man chuckled. Izuku nearly fell back off the log as the man wove fire into the green orb. 

He felt his heart rate begin to rise as a feeling welled up inside him. Like his mind was expanding, bordering on empty. His core felt hollow, like he was nothing but a husk. There was a faint buzzing energy, just under his skin and positively _begging_ to be released. The energy was warm. Familiar. It reminded him of his first experience with One for All. He felt _warm._   
  
He looked up in confusion and shock as the man’s face and body began to melt away. Horns slowly sprouted, tall and proud, while the skin turned a vibrant, hellfire red. The stubble fell away to reveal a jet black goatee. The hairline also became jet black, with it slicked back stylishly behind the grand horns. The devilish smile grew long fangs, the soft brown eyes gave way to piercing orange, and the rounded ears became pointed. A hooked tail and giant bat wings sprouted from behind him. The demon leaned down almost horizontally to be eye level with the combat-ready hero-in-training, and he held forth a flaming hand for a handshake. “Mister Midoriya. You have consigned yourself to me. Accept your power, and become more powerful than you can imagine.” The devil spoke with a wide grin. Izuku sighed, knowing there was no going back now. The contract had been sealed. With great reluctance, he shook the demon’s hand.  
  
Once he did, the orb the Devil was holding, now tinted orange, flew back into his chest, and he felt his mind, body, and soul suddenly become burdened with an overwhelming, heavy power, brimming with potential. His core no longer felt empty,rather, it felt filled to the brim. His mind swirled like cyclones in dark, demonic tongues as he gained new, quite possibly forbidden knowledge. His body no longer felt just warm, it was as if he was on _fire_ yet he felt no pain.   
  
The combined effect of all these feelings made Izuku double over, clutching his chest, before he felt his spiking heart rate drop back to normal. He looked up at the looming figure, a grin of sharp teeth splitting their face open.  
  
“Wh-... What the hell are you?” He gasped. The demon struck a thoughtful pose. “Hmm… I suppose I could let my little warlock in on my identity. I am Asmodeus,” he paused, his eyes flaring with light and fire escaping the corners of his mouth.   
  
**_“King of the Nine Hells. Pleasure to have you on board, Mr. Midoriya.”_**


	2. Strike, Deku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku, confused and indebted to Asmodeus, gets put through the wringer to learn his new powers the only way he knows how.
> 
> The hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to Gotsh0cks for editing the chapter and also for being an amazing human.

**_“King of the Nine Hells. Pleasure to have you on board, Mr. Midoriya.”_ ** **_  
_ ** **_  
_ ** Izuku stopped for a moment as the words sank in. He had literally made a deal with the Devil. Asmodeus hummed, flicking a clawed finger dead-center on Izuku’s forehead.    
  
“I don’t even need my telepathy to tell you your thoughts were becoming the mental equivalent of a wildfire. Calm down, Mr. Midoriya. How about this: What would you prefer I call you by? We are patron and client now after all, we may as well get comfortable.” Asmodeus snapped his hands and once more objects appeared in by burning in reverse, the ashes forming elegant chairs, a small table, and a pitcher with two cups. Asmodeus poured liquid into his cup from the pitcher as he sat down.    
  
Izuku, still ready to fight, sat down as well, his legs tensing and ready to kick the table at the demon if need be. His eyes hardened. In front of him was the equivalent of a villain, and Izuku had figured out by now that this was most definitely  _ not  _ the afterlife. “D-Deku,” was all he said in response to the devil’s question. Asmodeus sighed.    
  
“Why so angry all of a sudden, Deku?” the finely dressed devil questioned as he slid a cup full of the liquid towards Izuku. Izuku picked it up with trepidation, and as he brought it up, the smell of alcohol invaded his nostrils, making them burn. He set it down. “I-I don’t drink,” he said, pushing it away. Asmodeus laughed.    
  
“My little Spitfire, I  _ assure  _ you, I didn’t poison it, if that’s what you’re worried about. Go. Drink. You need it after all you’ve been through. And if you want, you can tone down the spices by adding in some more honey. It  _ is _ mead, after all.” He snapped his fingers again, and a small pot of honey flashed into existence.   
  
_ ‘I am really thirsty, yeah. But what is he playing at? He tricked me once, I need to stay on my toes here…’  _ Izuku thought as he added honey into the mixture slowly, trying to get some extra time to compile his thoughts. He was most definitely not on Earth, at least not his. There’s even the possibility of him being in some alternate timeline, or in another dimension. That could explain the floating thing, and all the lights. If this were a villain’s quirk, he doubt they’d let him move around so freely.   
  
A chuckle from Asmodeus caught his attention and Izuku turned to see the devil, one hand held palm-up while some kind of illusion played out scenes. Some of them seemed…  _ oddly  _ familiar.   
  
Izuku watched as the scene depicted two young boys, one with wild green curls and emerald eyes, the other a soaking wet ash blonde with ruby eyes. Then it hit him. These were his memories!   
  
“H-hey! What are you doing!?” he yelled out, standing up quickly and backing away. Asmodeus smirked.    
  
“You were taking quite a while to do… well anything, really, so I did some digging myself. And I must say, Deku, you have some  _ choice _ backstory. A young boy, born without powers in an age of ‘quirks’, who despite  _ relentless _ harassment decided to truck through and become a hero. And what’s more, he was  _ given _ his power by a man revered by all… I suspected something was off about the soul fragments inside you, but now I see.”   
  
Asmodeus stood as well, patting Midoriya’s head and giving him a smile.    
  
“Your quirk is powered by the souls of the past holders! Do you know what this may mean, Deku?” the devil asked gleefully, waving away the furniture and drinks. Izuku could only stare in shock.    
  
_ ‘H-he…. He could just look into my memories that easily? And on top of that, he seems to have deduced something about my quirk that even I couldn’t find… The souls of the past holders?’ _   
  
Asmodeus took Izuku’s silence as his cue to continue. “This means that  _ I _ get to put you through some crash-course training of  _ both _ of your gifted powers!” he said, firing a fireball into the air.    
  
It shot up like a flare, illuminating the dark forest like a small, artificial sun right above their location. Izuku thought the demon was just putting on a show but before he could say anything, the devil pushed a finger to his lips to keep him from talking and put his hand to his ear. Izuku reluctantly did the same as he strained to listen for whatever Asmodeus was going on about now.   
  
And then he heard it.   
  
**_Bwooooooooooooom..!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Bwoooooom-Bwoooooooooooooom..!_ **

A crude horn sounded off in the distance, followed by a few others. They were so far off that if it wasn’t for Asmodeus shushing him Izuku wouldn’t have heard them. Izuku didn’t know why, but those horns made his stomach fill with dread. Asmodeus put something in Izuku’s hand, and then vanished in a puff of black smoke and embers.    
  
It was a vibrant red crystal attached to an elegant gold chain necklace.   
  
Izuku stood there in the clearing, his mind racing a mile a minute. Why did Asmodeus give him a gem? What were those horns? What did he mean by crash course?   
  
He was snapped out of his thoughts by something rustling in the forest surrounding him.   
  
_ ‘No good! I’m out in the open, but what if they’re already around me?’ _ _   
_ _   
_ Izuku, already knowing there’s no point in trying to hide, called out tentatively. “H-Hello..? I-is anyone t-there?” he shouted as loud as he dared to where he heard the rustle.    
  
He was surprised when he received an answer in the form of a high-pitched, gravelly and rough voice shouting back “No!” before he heard a hiss and what sounded like a  _ vicious _ smack. “You  _ idiot! _ Now he knows we’re here!” a second, slightly deeper voice yelled.   
  
“But-but you’re yelling too!” the first voice whined.    
  
There was a tense silence, and Izuku could feel an aura of malice radiating from the bush, despite it not being aimed at him.    
  
“Shut up…” The second voice said. A third voice rang from behind him, but he couldn't understand it. It sounded like a gross language anyway. And from a bush to his side he heard rustling. A small, green creature with huge pointed ears wearing ratty animal hide stepped out. Even in the midnight darkness, Izuku could tell it looked  _ ugly. _ Gaunt face, yellowed teeth, bulging eyes, wrinkled skin, bald head and a large, crooked nose.    
  
“You came to the wrong forest, brat…” The creature spoke. At his words, more of the creatures stepped out, and all of them had  _ weapons. _ Crude swords and axes with jagged, rough edges and makeshift handles, spears with tips of rock, flint and rusted iron, bows made from twigs and animal hide strings. They looked crude and cheap, but there was also the fact that all of them had weapons of some kind, were somewhat organized, and had him completely surrounded.    
  
Izuku entered a combat stance, sweat beading down his forehead. He had to think while they were busy showing off in an attempt to intimidate him.    
  
_ ‘Twenty-four total. Five creatures with swords and shields made of bark, ten spear guys, three with axes, and six bow wielders. I don’t know if they have greater numbers hidden in the forest around me, but judging by the way they move, I doubt they’d think that far ahead. They probably brought their whole group to ensure the greatest chance at success.’ _ _   
_ _   
_ **_‘Very good, my little Spitfire,’_ ** Asmodeus’s voice rang out in his head, shocking him.    
  
**_‘I will explain later. First, grab the crystal. Focus on the fire in your veins and push it through that crystal. Force it to bend to your will. Your quirk, as it is, will do you no good here, you’ll just break yourself, and there’s no Recovery Girl here to fix your mistakes.’_ **   
  
_ ‘W-what will that do..?’ _

**_‘Do you wish to live and have that knowledge or die and never know? I am trying to help you. Now, make your choice quickly, they’re beginning to move.’_ **   
  
Izuku could only nod. It was his only chance. He held the crystal, and like his patron said, focused. He felt the buzzing under his skin ignite once more, and the feeling of harmless flames washed over him once more. He willed it to move, to form together in the crystal, and to his surprise, it listened. He felt the crystal heat up and started to glow with energy.   
  
**_‘Very good. Now, just pick one of the goblins and release.’_ **   
  
Izuku looked to the first goblin who came out. The others listened to his command to enter the field, so he assumed he was a leader of sorts. He narrowed his eyes, and released the stored up energy.   
  
Like a gun, his arm was pushed back by the recoil as a line of fire and heat shot from the crystal, weaving about in the air to strike the goblin in the face. It flew back, tumbling over himself, before he laid there, still. The scent of burnt flesh met Izuku’s nose and he wanted to vomit.    
  
**_‘Good. Again.’_ **   
  
“Did I just..?” Izuku muttered to himself.   
  
**_‘No need to worry. Those are goblins. Some of them are good enough, but most are just annoying evil little pests who feast on human flesh. They will kill you, so you must kill them. There are no prisons around here to take them in. Now, do what you must, for they’re rallying against you.’_ **   
  
Izuku fought to contain the bile steadily rising in his throat as he took stock of the now shrieking goblins .

True to Asmodeus’ word, the goblins were calming down from their panic before they turned to him with murder in their eyes.

A goblin charged forward with a shrill warcry, their spear pointed forward, level with his chest.

**_‘Strike, Deku.’_ **

The monster was nearer, it’s lips curled in a vicious snarl, its large ears flattened. The spear was jagged and spiked, and Izuku’s hero costume wasn’t stab-proof.   
  
**_‘FIGHT, IZUKU!’_ **

Shaking his head to clear out the booming voice of Asmodeus, Izuku shot another beam of fire at the goblin who was rushing him, this beam having come easier than the last. The goblin was struck almost point-blank in the face, and the beam decapitated the poor thing. Blood sprayed into the air, a good portion of it landing on Izuku. 

  
**_‘Ah, a fast learner. Good. That was ‘Eldritch Blast,’ a handy cantrip to have. Good results, too. Now, throw your hands out at the group rushing you from behind. Hands open, fingers splayed, thumbs touching. Like a shove. But do the same thing you did with the energy in your blood. Force it out violently and watch the results.’_ **   
  
Izuku hadn’t even known there was a group flanking him, but he turned to see a small group sprinting full-tilt at him, weapons poised to strike and kill. Instinct and adrenaline fueled him as he did what he was told as quickly as he could. He rushed the energy, and once more, it listened. It exploded out from his fingertips, a cone of fire engulfing the rushing team in searing heat as their ratty, minimal armor did little to protect them against the human flamethrower.    
  
They screamed as they were roasted alive by the wave of fire, the force of which threw them back slightly. He felt the approving nod of Asmodeus in his head.   
  
The smell of seared flesh hit him like a tidal wave again and he gagged. He knew in the back of his mind that the goblins wouldn’t surrender, not in the mindset they had right now, but he couldn’t help the vile feeling of bile clawing up his throat. He swallowed thickly, looking around at the remaining goblins and, with great reluctance, counted the bodies. Three down from his  _ ‘Eldritch Blasts’ _ , and another five taken down by the cone of flame.   
  
**_‘’Burning hands.’ A first-level spell, often one used to practice more advanced evocation-school spells and pyromancies, but no doubt powerful in it’s own right. Have some restraint when using it, as it is more taxing on your magic reserves than any amount of cantrips, and the fire makes no distinction between friend and foe.’_ **   
  


“S-sixteen m-more to fight… Th-this is rough…” he muttered. He heard high-pitched screeching and looked up just in time to see the six bow users readying a volley.    
  
“Oh crap-!” his yell was cut off as the arrows were loosed, their deadly flint tips flying all around him. He ducked, but cried out in pain as he felt a deep, stabbing pain in his arm. He looked, and to his horror, there was an arrow embedded in his arm.   
  
**_‘Send the pain back to them! Two fingers up, swipe and point at the ones who hurt you!’_ **   
  
Using his free hand, he obeyed, picking his target through the pained tears in his eyes and watched in morbid satisfaction as the goblin who shot him was engulfed in a pillar of hellfire from below, launching it’s small, charred body into the air. He distantly noted that the feeling was dying down, and that the last spell actually made him feel pleased. Either the adrenaline was keeping him from feeling bad about it, or he was becoming accustomed to killing.   
  
How long did it take for that feeling to take effect? He’d never killed before. But before his mind could devolve into a moral trainwreck, Asmodeus’s voice rang out again, feeding his analytical mind more information.   
  
**_‘‘Hellish Rebuke’, a nice spell to have to dish back the pain should you ever need to.’_ **   
  
_ ‘I’m gonna need to write all this down…’ _ Izuku thought as he leaned back just in time to avoid getting his throat slit by a crude longsword, only earning a nick on his cheek. His every movement caused the arrow in his arm to jostle and catch on things and it was severely distracting. So, doing what he saw in the movies, he reached up to where the shaft met the skin, braced himself, and snapped it.   
  
Usually in the movies when they snap an arrow, they don’t even flinch. However, this proved untrue. Izuku Midoriya may have had an insanely high pain tolerance, but the way he felt the arrowhead move in his bone and the feeling of his flesh being torn away as he broke it off shot through his nervous system like a lightning bolt. He cried out, but suffered through the pain. There was actually another volley of arrows incoming. Using his good hand, he grabbed the spear of a nearby gobin and held the goblin up to his chest and head as the next volley was fired. He braced behind his flailing meat shield.   
  
He felt three dull thumps as one arrow whiffed and twirled away into the forest beside him, apparently not having been made properly, and another embedded itself in the dirt next to him. He dropped the goblin he was holding, seeing the three arrows lodged in it’s chest and stomach, but moved on. Using his newly gained weapon, he was able to defend himself with more than just offense.    
  
Blows were now parried instead of dodged, his larger body size giving him a strength advantage over the goblins’ small, wiry frames and evening out the lessened use of one of his arms.. While their attacks were quick, they were weak, and now that he could block them he began to advance instead of retreat.   
  
With a swing, the wooden shaft batted away the axe blow destined for his back, followed up by a kick to the head. The goblin was sent flying away like a ragdoll, falling in a heap on the ground, motionless.    
  
He heard more shouting and saw the group of archers hurriedly preparing another firing line while the others backed off to avoid getting used as a shield like the last one.    
  
**_‘They are too far for ‘Burning Hands’ to reach them. Now’s as good a time as ever. They are clustered together. Use your quirk to get them all in one fell swoop. Hopefully the display of power will dissuade them from attacking further,’_ ** Asmodeus advised in his head. Izuku nodded, trucking through the pain and bracing his arm, getting ready for a flick.    
  
“Delaware… SMASH!”   
  
With those words, a massive wave of compressed air shot out like a great bullet, deflecting the arrows fired and hitting the group of archers with a titanic amount of force. They were sent flying away, impacting trees, rocks, and bushes, while a small crater was left where they once were, a cloud of dirt and dust violently billowing up.   
  
To say Izuku was shocked was an understatement. Either these guys were much weaker than he thought, or his quirk was stronger now. His finger hurt like hell, too. Definitely broken. However, the gloves stayed intact, hiding the bloody purple appendage from sight.   
  
Izuku hid the pain in his finger and looked at the remaining goblins. “Who’s next!?” He shouted, trying his hardest to channel his inner Bakugou. Despite his wavering voice, the goblins looked terrified. Some nervously began to approach him, but one was starting to stumble and back up as their sword clattered to the ground.    
  
A particularly brave spear goblin rushed him, throwing out a thrust fueled by terror and adrenaline that was barely ducked as Izuku swept its small legs from under them. While they were down for a moment, Izuku sent another  _ ‘Eldritch Blast’ _ at the final axe wielder. He dropped as quick as the others, and grabbed the spear from the downed goblin beside him and stabbed it, leaving it in there.    
  
The fight continued, with Izuku sustaining a few injuries as he began to tire from fighting twenty-four different opponents. In the end, only one goblin remained. The one who looked at him as if he were some kind of invincible angel of death. Or, more accurately, a demon of destruction.   
  
“N-no! S-stay back!” It said. Izuku felt pity for it. It was surrendering, unlike its friends. He breathed heavily, his blood-smeared, soot-covered face scrunched up in pain, but his eyes were burning with determination, his emerald irises glowing orange at the edges like a forest fire as he looked the goblin in the eye.   
  
The acrid stench of urine wafted through the air, mixing the smell of charred flesh and smoke, and the goblin started running, stripping it’s gear off to make it as light as possible.   
  
Izuku sagged once he was in the clear, and Asmodeus appeared next to him again, harrumphing. “Hmph, little coward. But, his life does have a boon. It’s probably scrambling back to its lair. You wanted to be a hero, yes? If that goblin cave doesn’t get taken care of, plenty of people that are…  _ less gifted _ than yourself will be harmed. Consider this my first mission for you.”   
  
Izuku could hardly pay attention as he succumbed to his wounds and fell to his knees. The blocked-out sick feeling bubbled back up as the adrenaline washed out of his system, and he stuck his face in a bush as he emptied out everything Lunch Rush had made him for breakfast.   
  
Asmodeus struck a thoughtful pose. “However, before you go, you need to recuperate. While you do that, I suppose we can have a talk. I noticed something interesting.”   
  
Izuku breathlessly nodded. “H-h-hey… I k-know I said I-I don’t d-drink… But anything sounds g-good right now…”    
  
Asmodeus hummed, kneeling down as he rubbed circles on Izuku’s back, the claws giving him a pleasant scratch. “Oh, of course my little Spitfire.”   
  
The devil helped him stand and directed him back to the miraculously still-intact log the two had met at. Izuku sat on the dead wood heavily, slumping down. He saw the flash of Asmodeus summoning something, and felt a metal cup’s edge press to his lips as a clawed hand tilted his head back.   
  
“Drink, Deku. The alcohol will numb the pain. Just… try not to spit it up, you wouldn’t want this to burn your wounds right now, would you?” the demon calmly asked. Izuku was honestly surprised at the softness that the devil was displaying.    
  
He held his breath as he took a generous gulp of the beverage, and nearly yelpedat the taste that met his tongue. It was sharp, and it felt tingly, but the honey mixed in greatly contrasted with the spices. It wasn’t as bad as he thought, but it still tasted immensely weird to him.    
  
However, he quickly found himself taking a second gulp to fill the now empty void that was his stomach.   
  
Asmodeus pulled the cup away, setting it on a summoned table in front of Izuku. “Patience, warlock. Chugging this will only make things worse.”   
  
The boy nodded, wiping any excess liquid off his chin. “T-that word. ‘Warlock.’ W-what does it mean..?” he questioned as his patron sat down in front of him.    
  
“Oh, of course. I forgot that you aren’t from this place. And I suppose it ties into what I wanted to talk about, so a bit of context never hurt anyone. Well… To start with, a warlock is any individual who seeks out a patron of great power to give them a fragment of it, allowing them to cast spells. You can make a pact with any intelligent, extraplanar creature of great power, but fiends, such as myself, are one of the easiest to make a pact with. We are born with the ability to trade power for souls. Do you have that down so far?”   
  
Izuku blinked, before rushing to grab his notebook. It was slightly singed now, but it matters not. Asmodeus, however, looked at the thing in disdain.    
  
“You know, Deku, that flimsy thing wouldn’t survive three days out here. Allow me.” Asmodeus held up his hand, and a large, sturdy looking leather-bound book came into existence. It was finely crafted, with soft leather, a strong, iron-banded spine, and a buckled strap to carry it. The parchment pages were pliable yet decently thick. “It has been enchanted to never tarnish, and the pages are infused with magic as well to keep it safe from wear and tear. This should suit your purposes well.”   
  
Izuku nodded in thanks, and while the alcohol worked through his system and they both tended to his wounds, Izuku wrote all he could. He needed this knowledge to survive this world since it was so vastly different from his own.    
  
It was confusing, yet immensely intriguing. The concept of magic and all the things one could learn to do with it were amazing for him, and the way one could forge a contract with an exceptionally powerful being to gain power sounded immensely close to One for All.   
  
“Ah, you’re thinking of your quirk, aren’t you? I noticed something odd about it- Oh, bite on this stick, I’m removing the arrowhead.” Izuku did as he was told, bracing his mind to shut out the pain as he continued to listen to his patron explain.   
  
“You see, when I held your soul, I felt the presence of eight others. They fuel your quirk, and your soul, being the current and most powerful holder, is the driving force behind it now. I suspect that the more you use your given quirk-” He cut himself off quickly as he pulled out the arrow. It was painful, and Izuku’s teeth nearly bit through the twig, but it stayed whole, muffling his scream and subsequent whimpers. Asmodeus waited for him to calm down as he bandaged the wound before jumping right back into what he was saying.    
  
“-The more your soul gets infused into the quirk. Which, normally, should be impossible if it were genetic. But I’ll get to that later. Since your soul and the quirk are bonded, when I gave you my power it caused a two-way reaction. The magic has enhanced your quirk, which I’m sure you noticed, since your quirk is a ‘stockpile type’, correct?”   
  
Izuku nodded, seeming to catch on to what he was saying. “Y-yeah, it works by taking the energy of the past users and multiplies on it. At least, that’s what All-Might told me.”   
  
Asmodeus nodded. “So, this in turn integrated with your quirk, making the magic stronger as well.”   
  
Izuku was shocked. He was suspecting that was how it had happened due to the way his patron was talking about it, but to hear that it was actually true?    
  
“What!? But… But how?” Izuku shouted.   
  
“Well, there are two ways this could work. One is that One for All takes in  _ ANY  _ available power to compile itself upon. The other is that quirks are a type of hereditary magic. Does that make sense?”   
  
Izuku blinked. “Magic is… hereditary?” he inquired. Asmodeus nodded.    
  
“Yes, there are some bloodlines that carry magical essence. It is how another type of spellcaster, known as ‘sorcerers’, exists. They naturally wield the force in their bloodlines. Although some lean towards a certain school of magic and nothing else. Quirks just sound like hyper-specialized spells created for one person. So, in theory, you could  _ probably _ replicate a quirk you know through magic, since I have attuned you to its energies. You were originally quirkless, and thus, your body is not specialized to simply one spell, as demonstrated by your use of multiple spells. You have a knack for analysis, use that brain of yours and crush your enemies into dust. Oh, and I suppose remain heroic while doing so.”   
  
Izuku nearly cried in joy. He has the potential to replicate quirks! Even support equipment could only do so much and that regard, and there’s always a chance for tech failure, but here he was, able to bend some mystical energy to his will and have the one thing he’d craved since he was four years old plus more.    
  
The rest of the night was spent recuperating as Asmodeus informed Izuku of much of the world he resided in now. Mystical races often seen in fantasy and media were alive and well, living and breathing into a worldwide ecosystem so much larger than his own.    
  
Before he laid down to sleep, he offered his patron one final question.    
  
“Why are you so nice to me? Aren’t you and your kind supposed to be this great evil?” he asked, the alcohol in his system having long ago overridden his nervous stutter. Asmodeus smiled.    
  
“My little Spitfire, evil as I may be, you’re one of us now. And, despite how I may act outside of this, I try my best to be kind to my own. Ruling through fear and power eventually leads to hate and betrayal, but ruling through fairness and just a smidgen of compassion creates a breed of follower that would march into the infinite Abyss if you so much as suggested it. Keep that in mind.”   
  
And with that, Izuku Midoriya was lulled to sleep. His mind was plagued with visions of his friends, stuck in a villain attack without him. He wondered how they were faring. Did time pass the same in his world as it did here?   
  


* * *

  
  
Katsuki was  _ pissed. _ These fuckers broke in, took Deku, and nearly killed Aizawa, and many students were hurt. One kid, he couldn’t remember his name but he knew he was the short pervert bastard with grapes for hair, he was disintegrated by the handsy fucker before the teachers showed up. He himself had been caught by the Nomu just moments before All Might showed up and kicked its ass.    
  
Katsuki was sure he saw All Might literally  _ steaming _ with rage when the students said the villains got the shitty nerd. And, despite the excessive force All Might used, he couldn’t blame him. If it weren’t for the big brain fucker breaking his arms and a few of his ribs, he would’ve blown up every single one of those villains so bad they’d have to spend years putting em back together in Hell.    
  
And with this defeat, came some heavy self-reflection. After about fifteen other officers interrogated him in his hospital bed, he sat there in silence as he thought back upon his life.    
  
He was such a piece of shit. He bullied a weak, powerless kid when in reality, those were the people he was supposed to protect if he were to be a hero. He was an asshole to everyone because he thought he deserved the spot at number one because he could make firecrackers in his hands as a kid.   
  
He  _ wasn’t _ the strongest, and because of that, the target of his biggest shame was probably  _ dead _ . Because he underestimated the villains, he’s lost use of his arms. Because of his goddamned ego, he, his classmates, and his teachers were in the hospital.    
  
Because of his inability to protect people, Gravity Girl- no, Uraraka- had a knife in her leg.    
  
Because of his ego, Jirou was temporarily deaf in one ear.   
  
Because of his battle-lust, Sensei had permanent damage to his eyes and use of his quirk.    
  
Because of his hunger for power, All Might had nearly died.   
  
Because of  _ him, _ people got hurt.   
  
And it was at this moment, Bakugou made a vow.    
  
A vow to be better. A vow to be the number one hero, not because he ‘ _ deserved’ _ it, but to fill the void Deku left behind. A vow to protect the weak. A vow to always be there, consequences be damned, because that’s what a real hero would fucking do.   
  
He’d be the best hero he could be, and he would avenge Deku.   
  
Little did he know, most of his classmates were making similar vows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, yeah, catch me on Epsi's Discord. I am T̵he̶̤͑ L̸oc̴͊al̷ ̴C̸r̶y̸p̵t̷iđ. Not too active on there usually but odds are I will engage in conversation if directly pinged.
> 
> https://discord.gg/xV7Td8a

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to GotSh0cks and a few others on Epsi's Discord for helping edit this chapter. The editor family is honestly great and I love you all. 
> 
> Oh, yeah, catch me on Epsi's Discord. I am T̵he̶̤͑ L̸oc̴͊al̷ ̴C̸r̶y̸p̵t̷iđ. Not too active on there usually but odds are I will engage in conversation if directly pinged.
> 
> https://discord.gg/xV7Td8a


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